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Waterloo Warriors men's ice hockey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waterloo Warriors men's ice hockey
UniversityUniversity of Waterloo
ConferenceOUA
OUA West Division
Head coachBrian Bourque
Since 2006–07 season
Assistant coachesKyle Sonnenburg
Graeme Swan
Matt McGahey
Mike Moffat
ArenaCIF Arena
Waterloo, Ontario
ColorsBlack and Gold
   
U Sports Tournament championships
1974
U Sports Tournament appearances
1974, 1991, 1996, 2013
Conference Tournament championships
1974, 1996
Conference regular season championships
1971, 1975, 1991, 1996, 2007

The Waterloo Warriors men's ice hockey team is an active ice hockey program representing the Waterloo Warriors athletic department of the University of Waterloo. The team originally played as an intermediate program but transition to the senior level in 1961, where it had remained ever since.[1]

History

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It's unclear exactly when Waterloo played its first ice hockey game but the men's program was one of five founding members of the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association ice hockey conference in 1958. Three years later, Waterloo, along with McMaster, Ontario Agricultural (now known as Guelph) all promoted their teams to senior hockey and joined the Quebec–Ontario Athletic Association.[2] For the first few years, Waterloo finished at or near the bottom of the standings but the program experienced a dramatic turnaround in 1966 when they posted their first winning season. The next year, the Warriors finished second in the conference and made its first postseason appearance as well. Waterloo had swiftly turned itself into a major player in the conference but they could not overcome the dominant power of the time, Toronto, and finished as league runners-up four years in a row.[3] Waterloo looked poised to finally get over the hump in 1971 when they won their first regular season championship but the Warriors proceeded to lose their semifinal match and squander their opportunity.

In 1971, the four extant conferences that shared teams in Quebec and Ontario were broken up and rearranged into two provincial leagues. Waterloo now found itself with twice as many conference opponents and had a difficult time adjusting in the first season. Fortunately, the Warriors soon resolved their issues and returned to being a top team in 1973. The very next year, Waterloo won its first league championship and made its first University Cup appearance. The Warriors downed Calgary in straight sets to advance to the championship game and got into a close battle with Sir George Williams. Waterloo had to come back from a 2–4 deficit in the third to force overtime and then scored twice in the extra session (sudden-death rules were not in effect) to secure a 6–5 victory to win the National Championship.[4]

Waterloo's championship defense was ended the following year thanks to Toronto. Afterwards, the team slipped from their perch and began to yo-yo up and down the standings. The nadir came in 1983 with the program's worst season but it seemed to spark a resurgence in the Warriors and the club soon regained some consistency. Through the late 80's Waterloo was able to make the playoffs every year, finally winning a round in 1990 before managing to earn a second trip to the national tournament in 1991. The team sagged slightly over the succeeding few years but came roaring back in 1996, winning their first conference championship since 1974 and making their second championship game appearance. Unfortunately, the team was unable to recapture the same magic they had in 1974 and fell to Acadia 2–3.[5]

After their second run to the title game, Waterloo slowly tumbled down the standings and eventually bottomed out in the early 21st century. Again, after hitting rock-bottom, the team rebounded and eventually climbed back to the top of the heap in 2007. However, playoff success eluded the Warriors. By the 2010s, Waterloo had slipped back to being a middling team but they still had some gas left in the tank. In 2013, the Warriors went on a run in the postseason, defeating three higher-seeded teams en route to a runner-up finish and a trip to the national tournament. Despite being heavy underdogs, Waterloo beat Canada West champion Alberta before the clock struck 12 on their Cinderella season. The surprising appearance turned out to be a one-off for the Warriors and over the next decade, the team sank to the bottom of the conference standings.

Season-by-season results

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Senior collegiate play

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports Semifinalist Conference regular season champions Conference Division Champions Conference Playoff Champions
Season Conference Regular Season Conference Tournament Results National Tournament Results
Conference Overall
GP W L T OTL SOL Pts* Finish GP W L T %
1961–62 QOAA 12 2 9 1 5 8th 12 2 9 1 .208
1962–63 QOAA 12 3 8 1 7 T–6th 12 3 8 1 .292
1963–64 QOAA 12 1 11 0 2 7th 12 1 11 0 .083
1964–65 QOAA 16 2 11 3 7 T–7th 16 2 11 3 .219
1965–66 QOAA 16 11 3 2 24 3rd 16 11 3 2 .750
1966–67 QOAA 16 11 3 2 24 3rd 18 12 4 2 .722 Won Semifinal, 6–2 (Western Ontario)
Lost Championship, 4–9 (Toronto)
1967–68 QOAA 16 14 2 0 28 2nd 18 15 3 0 .833 Won Semifinal, 6–5 (McMaster)
Lost Championship, 1–8 (Toronto)
1968–69 QOAA 15 11 3 1 23 4th 17 12 4 1 .735 Won Semifinal, 4–2 (Laval)
Lost Championship, 0–4 (Toronto)
1969–70 QOAA 15 10 3 2 22 2nd 17 11 4 2 .706 Won Semifinal, 7–3 (Ottawa)
Lost Championship, 4–7 (Toronto)
1970–71 QOAA 15 12 2 1 25 1st 16 12 3 1 .781 Lost Semifinal, 3–8 (Queen's)
1971–72 OUAA 19 7 10 2 16 10th 19 7 10 2 .421
1972–73 OUAA 17 10 5 2 22 4th 19 11 6 2 .632 Won Quarterfinal, 7–0 (Guelph)
Lost Semifinal, 2–13 (Toronto)
1973–74 OUAA 17 12 2 3 27 3rd 23 18 2 3 .848 Won Quarterfinal, 8–6 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Won Semifinal, 8–4 (York)
Won Championship, 6–4 (Western Ontario)
Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Calgary)
Won Championship, 6–5 (OT) (Sir George Williams)
1974–75 OUAA 17 14 2 1 29 1st 19 15 3 1 .816 Won Quarterfinal, 9–6 (McMaster)
Lost Semifinal, 3–9 (Toronto)
1975–76 OUAA 20 9 10 1 19 9th 20 9 10 1 .475
1976–77 OUAA 20 9 9 2 20 7th 22 10 8 4 .545 Lost Quarterfinal, 5–10 (Guelph)
1977–78 OUAA 20 7 11 2 16 11th 20 7 11 2 .400
1978–79 OUAA 16 4 7 5 13 9th 16 4 7 5 .406
1979–80 OUAA 22 10 7 5 25 6th ? ? ? ? ? results unavailable
1980–81 OUAA 22 4 17 1 9 10th 22 4 17 1 .205
1981–82 OUAA 22 7 13 2 16 T–9th 22 7 13 2 .364
1982–83 OUAA 24 2 21 1 5 13th 24 2 21 1 .104
1983–84 OUAA 24 10 11 3 23 7th 24 10 11 3 .479
1984–85 OUAA 24 6 18 0 12 12th 24 6 18 0 .250
1985–86 OUAA 24 11 11 2 24 6th 25 11 12 2 .480 Lost Quarterfinal, 3–4 (Western Ontario)
1986–87 OUAA 24 16 4 4 .750 T–3rd 26 16 6 4 .692 Lost Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Wilfrid Laurier)
1987–88 OUAA 26 14 6 6 34 5th 28 14 8 6 .607 Lost Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Western Ontario)
1988–89 OUAA 26 15 8 3 33 T–4th 29 16 10 3 .603 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (York)
1989–90 OUAA 22 17 4 1 35 2nd 27 19 7 1 .722 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Windsor)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Wilfrid Laurier)
1990–91 OUAA 22 18 2 2 38 1st 30 22 6 2 .767 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Guelph)
Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Championship series, 0–2 (Quebec–Trois-Rivières)
Lost Semifinal, 4–5 (Alberta)
1991–92 OUAA 22 16 6 0 32 3rd 25 17 8 0 .680 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Guelph)
1992–93 OUAA 22 14 5 3 31 5th 29 18 8 3 .672 Won First Round, 8–4 (Western Ontario)
Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (Guelph)
1993–94 OUAA 24 12 10 2 26 8th 25 12 11 2 .520 Lost Division Semifinal, 2–5 (Wilfrid Laurier)
1994–95 OUAA 24 13 9 2 28 6th 27 14 11 2 .556 Won Division Semifinal, 6–5 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Division Final series, 0–2 (Western Ontario)
1995–96 OUAA 26 21 5 0 32 T–1st 32 26 6 0 .813 Won Division Final series, 2–0 (Windsor)
Won Semifinal, 4–1 (Laurentian)
Won Championship, 5–1 (Quebec–Trois-Rivières)
Won Semifinal, 5–2 (Calgary)
Lost Championship, 2–3 (Acadia)
1996–97 OUAA 26 18 8 0 43 3rd 28 18 10 0 .692 Lost Division Final series, 0–2 (Western Ontario)
1997–98 OUA 26 15 7 4 34 4th 32 17 11 4 .594 Won Division Semifinal series, 2–1 (Western Ontario)
Lost Division Final series, 0–3 (Windsor)
1998–99 OUA 26 11 8 7 29 7th 31 13 11 7 .532 Won Division Final series, 2–1 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Division Final series, 0–2 (Windsor)
1999–00 OUA 26 9 16 1 19 T–13th 26 9 16 1 .365
2000–01 OUA 24 15 7 2 32 4th 29 17 10 2 .621 Won Division Semifinal series, 2–1 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Division Final series, 0–2 (Windsor)
2001–02 OUA 24 3 20 1 7 16th 24 3 20 1 .146
2002–03 OUA 24 1 22 1 3 16th 24 1 22 1 .063
2003–04 OUA 24 8 14 0 2 18 13th 26 8 18 0 .308 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Lakehead)
2004–05 OUA 24 13 8 3 0 29 T–7th 30 16 11 3 .583 Won Division Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Wilfrid Laurier)
Lost Division Semifinal series, 1–2 (Western Ontario)
2005–06 OUA 24 15 6 3 0 17 4th 30 18 9 3 .650 Won Division Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Brock)
Lost Division Semifinal series, 1–2 (Wilfrid Laurier)
2006–07 OUA 28 21 4 2 1 45 T–1st 33 23 8 2 .727 Won Division Semifinal series, 2–1 (Western Ontario)
Division Final series, 0–2 (Wilfrid Laurier)
2007–08 OUA 28 18 10 0 0 36 6th 31 19 12 0 .613 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Wilfrid Laurier)
2008–09 OUA 28 18 7 0 3 39 4th 30 18 9 3 .650 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Lakehead)
2009–10 OUA 28 20 7 0 1 41 4th 31 21 9 1 .694 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Windsor)
2010–11 OUA 28 15 12 0 1 31 T–10th 33 18 14 1 .561 Won Division Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Lakehead)
Lost Division Semifinal series, 1–2 (Western Ontario)
2011–12 OUA 28 15 9 3 1 34 7th 30 15 14 1 .517 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Brock)
2012–13 OUA 28 12 11 0 5 29 12th 37 19 13 5 .581 Won Division Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Lakehead)
Won Division Semifinal series, 2–0 (Western Ontario)
Won Division Final series, 2–0 (Windsor)
Lost Queen's Cup Final, 1–4 (Quebec–Trois-Rivières)
Lost Pool A Round–Robin, 2–1 (Alberta), 1–5 (Saint Mary's)
2013–14 OUA 28 12 12 2 2 28 T–12th 28 12 14 2 .464
2014–15 OUA 27 17 8 1 1 35 6th 30 18 11 1 .617 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Guelph)
2015–16 OUA 28 16 11 1 0 33 T–8th 30 16 14 0 .533 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Ryerson)
2016–17 OUA 28 12 12 4 0 28 T–13th 31 13 18 0 .419 Lost Division Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Ryerson)
2017–18 OUA 28 9 15 3 1 22 T–16th 28 9 18 1 .339
2018–19 OUA 28 10 13 4 1 25 T–16th 28 10 17 1 .375
2019–20 OUA 28 11 15 2 0 24 16th 28 11 17 0 .393
2020–21 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 OUA 16 8 8 0 0 .500 T–12th 16 4 10 2 .313 Won Division Quarterfinal, 4–1 (Toronto)
Lost Lost Division Semifinal, 3–4 (OT) (Ryerson)
2022–23 OUA 27 6 18 1 2 15 18th 27 6 19 2 .259
2023–24 OUA 28 4 19 4 1 13 18th 28 4 23 1 .161
Totals GP W L T/SOL % Championships
Regular Season 1389 674 595 110 .529 4 Far West Division Titles, 1 West Division Titles, 1 West Division Titles, 1 QOAA Championships, 3 OUAA Championships, 1 OUA Championships
Conference Post-season 114 54 70 0 .435 2 OUAA Championships
U Sports Postseason 7 4 3 0 .571 4 National Tournament appearances
Regular Season and Postseason Record 1510 732 668 110 .521 1 National Championship

Note: Totals include senior collegiate play only except for 1979–80.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Hockey All-Time Awards". Waterloo Warriors. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Past Champions". Ontario University Athletics. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "All-Time Game Results" (PDF). Toronto Varsity Blues. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "Men's Hockey - #2 all-time varsity moment". Waterloo Warriors. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "1995-1996 Men's Hockey Team". Acadia Axemen. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
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